


owed you that

by kickinmyfeelings



Series: klance as percabeth [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Percy Jackson Fusion, Established Relationship, M/M, keith as annabeth chase, lance as percy jackson, mark of athena but it's voltron, percy jackson characters appear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-23 06:06:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20237980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kickinmyfeelings/pseuds/kickinmyfeelings
Summary: Lance smelled of ocean air. His lips were salty. He kissed him softly, almost as if he was scared Keith would disappear from his grasp if he pushed a bit too much. This wasn’t their first kiss, but to Keith it felt it was, like they had never been closer.Gods, he thought,it’s really him.





	owed you that

Until he met the exploding statue, Keith thought he was prepared for anything. 

He'd paced the deck of their flying warship, Voltron, checking and double-checking the ballistae to make sure they were locked down. He confirmed that the white ‘_We come in peace_’ flag was flying from the mast. He reviewed the plan with the rest of the crew — and the backup plan, and the backup plan for the backup plan.

Most important, he pulled aside their war-crazed chaperone, Coach Coran Smythe, and encouraged him to take the morning off in his cabin and watch reruns of mixed martial arts championships. The last thing they needed as they flew a magical Greek trireme into a potentially hostile Roman camp was a middle-aged satyr with a crazy moustache yelling "Die!".

Everything seemed to be in order. Even that mysterious chill he'd been feeling since the ship launched had dissipated, at least for now. 

The clouds broke around their hull, revealing the gold-and-green carpet of the Oakland Hills below them. Keith gripped one of the bronze shields that lined the starboard rail. He couldn't stop second-guessing himself. 

_What if this was a bad idea? What if the Romans panicked and attacked them on sight?_ _What if they hadn’t received their message and thought they were attacking? What if Lance didn’t even remember him?_

Either way, it was too late to turn back now. 

His three crewmates took their places. These three guys that had been placed by no other than _ Hera _ in his way, the goddess who had sworn to destroy him and everything he valued. She basically had it out for him, and making him fall into a trap was a step up from making him fall into cow poop... yep, she was the goddess of _ cows_. 

Understandably, he didn’t trust them like he probably should. 

‘_Lance would have trusted them_.’ His brain reminded him. _Of course he would_, he thought, _Lance always trusts everyone_.

Pidge was smart, smarter than a lot of Athena kids to be honest, and _ maybe _ Keith trusted her more than the other two. She didn’t seem malicious or even suspicious, just very curious about basically everything and anything. She had, after all, found out a way of transporting them in a trireme across the US and make it feel like a big comfy house. 

Adam, on the other hand, _ was _ suspicious. A son of Aphrodite with a very strong hold on charmspeak, most people would never see the treason coming… But he remembered Silena, and didn’t want to let _ it _ slip past him again. He was practicing his words if the Romans decided to attack, making it hard for Keith to focus in anything other than dropping his weapon and chatting about the clouds. _ Suspicious_.

His boyfriend was under his surveillance 24/7. The guy was a Roman son of Jupiter, powerful and honorable, dressed in a Camp Half-Blood shirt with a purple cloak. He used to be a praetor, another thing to take into consideration. Keith didn’t doubt he would throw him to a horde of Roman demigods if he thought it was for the greater good of Camp Jupiter… He probably would’ve done the same for Camp Half-Blood, without a doubt in his mind.

Maybe he just didn’t trust him because he couldn’t stop thinking about Lance every time he saw him, and how Hera was going to pay for this idea of hers. 

Gods, Lance was somewhere below them, probably being a pain in the ass for the Romans. Maybe not even _ remembering _ Keith existed. 

_ Nope_, he couldn’t panic. He was a child of Athena, for goodness sake, he wasn’t going to get distracted from his objective: getting the two camps together and destroying Gaea. 

He felt it again — that familiar shiver, as if a psychotic snowman had crept up behind him and was breathing down his neck. He turned, but no one was there. 

_ Must be my nerves. _

Keith wished he could pray to his mother for guidance, but that wasn't possible now. Not after last month, when he'd had that horrible encounter with his mom and gotten the worst present of his miserable life.

The cold pressed closer. He thought he heard a faint voice in the wind, laughing. Every muscle in his body tensed. 

Something was about to go terribly wrong. 

*** * ***

A column of demigods emerged from the gates, their armor and spears glinting as they hurried toward the city. In the midst of their ranks was an actual war elephant. Keith was lucky if the Camp managed to squeeze a few pegasi out of the stables. 

Keith wanted to land Voltron before those troops arrived, but the ground was still several hundred feet below. He scanned the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of Lance. 

Then something behind him went BOOM! 

The explosion almost knocked him overboard. He whirled and found herself eye to eye with an angry statue. 

"Unacceptable!" he shrieked.

Apparently he had exploded into existence, right there on the deck. Sulfurous yellow smoke rolled off his shoulders. Cinders popped around his curly hair. From the waist down, he was nothing but a square marble pedestal. From the waist up, he was a muscular human figure in a carved toga. 

"I will not have weapons inside the Pomerian Line!" he announced in a fussy teacher voice. "I certainly will not have Greeks!" 

Shiro shot Keith a look that said ‘_I've got this_’. 

"Terminus," he said. "It's me. Takashi Shirogane." 

He didn’t _ got this. _

"Oh, I remember you, Shirogane!" Terminus grumbled. "I thought you had better sense than to consort with the enemies of Rome!" 

"But they're not enemies — " 

"That's right," Adam jumped in. "We just want to talk. If we could — " 

"Ha!" snapped the statue. "Don't try that charmspeak on me, young man. And put down that dagger before I slap it out of your hands!" 

Adam glanced at his bronze dagger, which he'd apparently forgotten he was holding. "Um… Okay? But how would you slap it? You don't have any arms." 

"Impertinence!" There was a sharp POP and a flash of yellow. Adam yelped and dropped the dagger, which was now smoking and sparking. 

"Lucky for you I've just been through a battle," Terminus announced. "If I were at full strength, I would've blasted this flying monstrosity out of the sky already!" 

"Hold up." Pidge stepped forward, wagging her Wii controller. "Did you just call my ship a monstrosity? I know you didn't do that." 

The idea that Pidge might attack the statue with her gaming device was enough to snap Keih out of his shock. 

"Let's all calm down." He raised his hands to show he had no weapons. _ He did wish to have them, though_… "I take it you're Terminus, the god of boundaries. Shiro told me you protect the city of New Rome, right? I’m Keith Kogane, son of — " 

"Oh, I know who you are!" The statue glared at him with its blank white eyes. "A child of Athena, Minerva's Greek form. Scandalous! You Greeks have no sense of decency. We Romans know the proper place for that goddess." 

The silver coin in his pocket warmed at his words. _ Follow the Mark of Athena, Keith. Avenge me_. 

Keith clenched his jaw. This statue wasn't making it easy to be diplomatic. Maybe he wasn’t on best terms with his mom, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to protect her honor, no need for another curse to be thrown at him. "What exactly do you mean, that goddess? And what's so scandalous about — " 

"Right!" Shiro interrupted. "Anyway, Terminus, we're here on a mission of peace. We'd love permission to land so we can — " 

"Impossible!" the god squeaked. "Lay down your weapons and surrender! Leave my city immediately!" 

"Which is it?" Pidge asked. "Surrender, or leave?" 

"Both!" Terminus said. "Surrender, then leave. I am slapping your face for asking such a stupid question, you ridiculous child! Do you feel that?" 

"Wow." Pidge studied Terminus with professional interest. "You're wound up pretty tight. You got any gears in there that need loosening? I could take a look." 

She exchanged the Wii controller for a screwdriver from her magic tool belt and tapped the statue's pedestal. 

"Stop that!" Terminus insisted. "This entire ship is a weapon! You cannot land!" 

Down in the valley, the legion reinforcements were halfway to the city. The crowd in the forum was over a hundred strong now. Keith scanned the faces and... Oh, Gods. He saw him. He was walking toward the ship with his arms around two other kids like they were best buddies — a stout boy with a yellow bandana, and a girl wearing a Roman cavalry helmet. Lance looked so at ease, so happy. He wore a purple cape just like Shiro's — the mark of a praetor. _ Of course he managed to become the leader of the Romans! _

Keith's heart did a gymnastics routine. 

"Pidge, stop the ship," he ordered. 

"What?" 

"You heard me. Keep us right where we are." 

Pidge pulled out her controller and yanked it upward. All ninety oars froze in place. The ship stopped sinking. 

"Terminus," Keith said, "there's no rule against hovering over New Rome, is there?" 

The statue frowned. "Well, no..." 

"We can keep the ship aloft," Keith said. "We'll use a rope ladder to reach the forum. That way, the ship won't be on Roman soil. Not technically." 

The statue seemed to ponder this. "I like technicalities," he admitted. "Still..." 

"All our weapons will stay aboard the ship," Keith promised. "I assume the Romans — even those reinforcements marching toward us — will also have to honor your rules inside the Pomerian Line if you tell them to?" 

"Of course!" Terminus said. "Do I look like I tolerate rule breakers?" 

"Uh, Keith..." Pidge said. "You sure this is a good idea?" 

_ Gods, I just want to see Lance! _

He closed his fists to keep them from shaking. That cold feeling was still there. It floated just behind him, and now that Terminus was no longer shouting and causing explosions, he thought he could hear the presence laughing, as if it was delighted by the bad choices he was making. 

But Lance was down there… he was so close. He had to reach him. 

"It'll be fine," he said. "No one will be armed. We can talk in peace. Terminus will make sure each side obeys the rules." He looked at the marble statue. "Do we have an agreement?" 

Terminus sniffed. "I suppose. For now. You may climb down your ladder to New Rome, son of Athena. Please try not to destroy my town." 

‘_I will destroy your face if you don’t let me down this fucking ship now._’ Keith thought, but he didn’t say it, because he was trying to be as diplomatic as he could. 

He was at his wits end. 

*** * ***

A sea of hastily assembled demigods parted for Keith as he walked through the forum. Some looked tense, some nervous. Some were bandaged from their recent battle with the giants, but no one was armed. No one attacked.

At the far end of the crowd, Keith spotted Tyson the Cyclops and Lance's hellhound, Mrs. O'Leary — who had been the first scouting party from Camp Half-Blood to reach Camp Jupiter. They looked to be in good spirits. Tyson waved and grinned. He was wearing an SPQR banner like a giant bib.

In front of him, the demigods made way for a girl in full Roman armor and a purple cape. Dark hair tumbled across her shoulders. Her eyes were as black as obsidian. 

_ Reyna_.

Shiro had described her well. Even without that, Keith would have singled her out as the leader. Medals decorated her armor. She carried herself with such confidence the other demigods backed away and averted their gaze. 

He reminded him of Allura, the only family he had known for some time, who now carried herself with that same grace and confidence while leading the Hunters of Artemis. 

Keith recognized something else in her face, too — in the hard set of her mouth and the deliberate way she raised her chin like she was ready to accept any challenge. Reyna was forcing a look of courage, while holding back a mixture of hopefulness and worry and fear that she couldn't show in public. 

Keith knew that expression. He saw it every time he looked in a mirror. The heavy weight of being responsible for the well-being of others, of calling the shots. 

They considered each other. Keith's _ friends _ fanned out on either side. The Romans murmured Shiro's name, staring at him in awe. 

Then someone else appeared from the crowd, and Keith's vision tunneled. 

_ Gods. _He felt his lungs give up on him. 

Lance smiled at him — that sarcastic, troublemaker smile that had annoyed him for years but eventually had become endearing. His sea-blue eyes were as gorgeous as he remembered — and dreamed about. His curly hair was swept to one side, like he'd just come from a walk on the beach. He looked even better than he had six months ago — tanner and taller, leaner and more muscular.

Keith was too stunned to move. He felt that if he got any closer to him, all the molecules in his body might combust. He'd secretly had a crush on him since they were twelve years old, bickering and arguing about anything for hours. Last summer, after almost dying in the hands of Kronos, they had finally admitted their mutual feelings for one another. They'd been a happy couple for four months — and then he'd disappeared. 

During their separation, something had happened to Keith's feelings. They'd grown painfully intense — like he'd been forced to withdraw from a life-saving medication. Now he wasn't sure which was more excruciating — living with that horrible absence, or being with him again.

He had known loneliness since he had learned how to process feelings. First the kids at his school who made fun of him for not having a mom, for being almost incapable of reading a single sentence without messing up, making it impossible to have friends. Then his father dying in a fire, making him an orphan who had to run from monsters no one in his foster homes seem to realise were there. Having his mother completely ignore him for years, letting him think he wasn’t a worthy son of Athena after all. Finding his family in Lotor and Allura, to have Allura turned into a tree and then an immortal huntress, and Lotor possessed by Kronos. 

But Lance had given him _ more_, something he could’ve never imagine a _ loner _ like him could have. Smiles and hugs and laughter; late nights talking about nothing and everything while making strategies for whatever quest they’d been assigned; fighting together against everyone and everything; trust in his abilities and leadership, even when he thought there was nothing special or trustworthy about him. A future to look after, when all his life he thought he'd be lucky to get to 15.

The praetor Reyna straightened. With apparent reluctance, she turned toward Shiro. 

"Takashi Shirogane, my former colleague..." She spoke the word colleague like it was a dangerous thing. "I welcome you home. And these, your friends—" 

Keith didn't mean to, but he surged forward, impulsive like he was when they first met. Lance rushed toward him at the same time. The crowd tensed. Some reached for swords that weren't there. 

Lance threw his arms around him. They kissed, and for a moment nothing else mattered. An asteroid could have hit the planet and wiped out all life, a war could’ve break out between the Greeks and Romans, a lion could’ve eaten them alive… and Keith wouldn't have cared. 

Lance smelled of ocean air. His lips were salty. He kissed him softly, almost as if he was scared Keith would disappear from his grasp if he pushed a bit too much. This wasn’t their first kiss, but to Keith it felt it was, like they had never been closer. 

_ Gods_, he thought, _ it’s really him_.

It wasn’t a dream, after months and months of searching, sleepless nights, praying and cursing, he was finally in his arms, his favorite place in the known universe. 

The arms of the fucking _ idiot _ who got himself _ abducted _ by the _ worst _ goddess in existence. 

Lance pulled away and studied his face, a hand making his way up Keith’s cheek. He looked relieved, hopeful, searching for clues that he was actually there. "_Gods_, I never thought — " 

Keith grabbed his wrist and flipped him over his shoulder. He slammed into the stone pavement. Romans cried out. Some surged forward, but Reyna shouted, "Hold! Stand down!" 

Keith put his knee on Lance's chest. He pushed his forearm against his throat. He didn't care what the Romans thought. They could’ve impaled him and he wouldn’t have even blinked. A white-hot lump of anger expanded in his chest — a tumor of worry and bitterness that he'd been carrying around since last autumn. 

"If you ever leave me again," he said, his eyes stinging, "I _ swear _ to all the gods — " 

Lance had the nerve to _ laugh_. Suddenly the lump of heated emotions melted inside Keith. It was so unbelievably _ Lance_, he felt himself fall in love all over again.

"Consider me warned," Lance said, simply, his eyes glistening. "I missed you, too." 

Keith rose and helped him to his feet. They stared at each other for a few seconds, before Lance took Keith’s hand in his and lift it to give his knuckles a kiss. His eyes never left Keith’s. Maybe in any other situation he would have blushed and shushed Lance, the thought of PDA enough to scare him off… But now he didn’t care, Lance was _ there _ , in one piece, looking at him like not a day had passed and at the same time, like he had missed him so much it _ hurt_. 

Keith squeezed his hand in response, hoping his eyes were as telling as Lance always said they were. Hoping they were saying _ I love you, I missed you so much Lance, please never leave me again _. Lance give his hand a little tug, enveloping him in a hug. Keith was trying hard not to bury his face on Lance's shoulder, hide there forever.

"I didn't forget you, Keith, I could never do that." Lance whispered on his ear, softly, making him weak. "I owed you that." 

What could Keith possibly answer? He felt his throat close, a lump making all sounds disappear. _Goddammit he wasn't going to cry in front of all Camp Jupiter._

Shiro cleared his throat, making Keith and Lance jump, both completely unaware of what was going on near them. "So, yeah… It's good to be back."

Lance chuckled, and looked at Keith with the softest smile he had ever seen. He returned it without doubting. 

  
_ It’s good to have you back _.


End file.
